An endoscope system includes a rigid endoscope including an optical system in a rigid insert section thereof, and a wiper sheath. The wiper sheath includes a wiper insert section receiving the insert section of the rigid endoscope, a wiper arranged on a distal end portion of the wiper insert section and enabled to be placed in contact with a distal-end face of the rigid endoscope received in the wiper insert section, and an operation unit, arranged at a proximal end portion of the wiper insert section, for switching the wiper between a contact state with the wiper placed to be in contact with the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope and a detached state with the wiper spaced apart from the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope, and for moving the wiper on and along the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope when the wiper is in the contact state.
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1. An endoscope system comprising:
a rigid endoscope including an observation optical system and an illumination optical system in a rigid insert section thereof; and
a wiper sheath, the wiper sheath including a wiper insert section receiving the insert section of the rigid endoscope, a wiper arranged on a distal end of the wiper insert section and enabled to be placed in contact with a distal-end face of the rigid endoscope received in the wiper insert section, and an operation unit, arranged at a proximal end portion of the wiper insert section, for switching the wiper between a contact state with the wiper placed to be in contact with the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope and a detached state with the wiper spaced apart from the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope, and for moving the wiper on and along the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope when the wiper is in the contact state;
wherein the operation unit comprises:
a tubular body secured to the outer circumference of the wiper insert section and having a first cam groove with which a pin is engaged;
a wiper tube rotatably and longitudinally movably supported around the outer circumference of the tubular body and having one end portion on which the pin to be engaged with the first cam groove is attached;
a first rotary ring rotatably supported around the outer circumference of the tubular body and forming an outer housing of the operation unit; and
a second rotary ring with an extension portion having a second cam groove with which the other end portion of the pin attached to the wiper tube is engaged, the second rotary ring rotatably supported around the outer circumference of the tubular body, and integrally formed with the first rotary ring.
2. The endoscope system according to
a washing sheath including a sheath insert section having an insert channel receiving the insert section of the rigid endoscope, and a nozzle provided at an end portion of the sheath insert section, for supplying a fluid to or sucking a fluid from the distal-end face of the insert section arranged in the insert channel.
3. The endoscope system according to
wherein the operation unit further comprises a pair of O-ring holders for holding an O-ring that is tightly placed on the outer circumference of the insert section of the rigid endoscope inserted in the inner passage of the wiper insert section.
4. The endoscope system according to
5. The endoscope system according to
6. The endoscope system according to
7. The endoscope system according to
8. The endoscope system according to
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This application claims benefit of Japanese Application No. 2005-36978 filed on Feb. 14, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system for wiping off water and a body fluid stuck on a distal-end face of a rigid endoscope with a wiper.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endoscope systems, such as rigid endoscopes, are widely used in surgical operations. During such a surgical operation, a body fluid, blood, etc. may stick to the distal-end face of each rigid endoscope, more particularly, an observation window, thereby degrading observation performance of the endoscope. To achieve sufficient observation performance, the observation window needs to be sufficiently cleaned.
As a cleaning method of cleaning the observation window, a body fluid, blood, etc. may be removed by pushing and pulling the rigid endoscope. However, this method inconveniences a physician.
For example, in the endoscope disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-189893, cleaning means cleans the distal end of an insert section of the endoscope by feeding water to the distal-end face through a nozzle of a water feed channel from a water passage.
An image scope, disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-29699, employs a nozzle to eject washing liquid, and a wiper to wipe contaminated water, contaminant matter, and body fluids sticking to an observation window of the image scope.
The image scope, mainly used for maintenance of a sewage pipe system, does not take cleaning and disinfection operations into consideration. There is a need for an endoscope system that is easy to use and allows the distal-end face thereof to be well cleaned.
An endoscope system of the present invention includes a rigid endoscope including an observation optical system and an illumination optical system in a rigid insert section thereof, and a wiper sheath. The sheath includes a wiper insert section receiving the insert section of the rigid endoscope, a wiper arranged on a distal end of the wiper insert section and enabled to be placed in contact with a distal-end face of the rigid endoscope received in the wiper insert section, and an operation unit, arranged at a proximal end portion of the wiper insert section, for switching the wiper between a contact state with the wiper placed to be in contact with the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope and a detached state with the wiper spaced apart from the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope, and for moving the wiper on and along the distal-end face of the rigid endoscope when the wiper is in the contact state.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to
As shown in
The rigid endoscope 2 includes the insert section 2A, a grip section 2B, and an eyepiece section 2C. The rigid insert section 2A is inserted into a body cavity of a subject. The grip section 2B is arranged on the proximal end of the insert section 2A. The eyepiece section 2C is arranged on the proximal end of the grip section 2B.
The illumination optical system and the observation optical system are arranged within the insert section 2A. The illumination optical system illuminates a region within an abdominal cavity of the subject. The observation optical system captures an observation image of the region within the abdominal cavity illuminated by the illumination optical system. The grip section 2B is provided with a light-guide connector (not shown).
The light-guide connector (not shown) connects to a connector arranged at one end of a light-guide cable. The other end of the light-guide cable connects to a light-source device. Illumination light from the light-source device is guided to the region within the abdominal cavity via the light-guide cable and the illumination optical system and illuminates the abdominal region.
A camera head (not shown) containing a charge-coupled device (CCD) is able to be connected to the eyepiece section 2C. The observation image of the region within the abdominal cavity is captured by the CCD in the camera head through the observation optical system. An electrical signal responsive to the observation image captured by the CCD is then supplied to a system controller (not shown).
A guide portion 5 is protruded in the direction of insertion from a distal-end face of the insertion portion of the grip section 2B. When the rigid insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is inserted through the sheath insert section 3A of the washing sheath 3, the guide portion 5 is received in a guide connector 6 arranged on a sheath grip section 3B of the washing sheath 3. The rigid endoscope 2 and the washing sheath 3 are thus reliably connected to each other.
The washing sheath 3 includes the sheath insert section 3A and the sheath grip section 3B arranged on the proximal end side of the sheath insert section 3A. The sheath insert section 3A includes at an end portion of the sheath insert section 3A a nozzle 3b serving as an opening for supplying and sucking water. The insert section 2A is inserted through an insert channel 3c as an inner passage of the sheath insert section 3A.
The sheath grip section 3B includes at the proximal end thereof an opening 3D through which the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is inserted into the insert channel 3C. The guide connector 6 is arranged on the circumference of the sheath grip section 3B close to the proximal end thereof. A socket portion 6b of the guide connector 6 is extended in perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the sheath grip section 3B. The guide connector 6 includes an opening 6a opening in the direction in which the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is inserted. The socket portion 6b has a generally U-shape in plan view.
With this arrangement, when the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is inserted through the insert channel 3c of the washing sheath 3, the guide portion 5 arranged on the grip section 2B of the rigid endoscope 2 is received in the guide connector 6 so that the washing sheath 3 and the rigid endoscope 2 are reliably connected to each other.
A guide portion 7 protruding in the direction of insertion is arranged on the distal end of the sheath grip section 3B. When the sheath insert section 3A of the washing sheath 3 is inserted through the wiper insert section 4A of the wiper sheath 4, the guide portion 7 is engaged with a guide connector 8 arranged on an operation unit 4B of the wiper sheath 4. In this way, the washing sheath 3 and the wiper sheath 4 are reliably connected to each other.
A water feed sleeve 3c to be in communication with the insert channel 3C is extended from the circumference of the sheath grip section 3B. One end of a water feed tube (not shown) is connected to the water feed sleeve 3c. The other end of the waver feed tube is connected to an injector serving as water feed means or sucking means.
A liquid such as a cleaning liquid cleaning the distal-end face 2a of the rigid endoscope 2 is fed to the water feed sleeve 3c via the water feed tube by the injector. Water is also sucked out by the injector. The water feed means is not limited to an injector. The water feed means may be a water feeder.
A nozzle 3b is arranged to a distal end portion 3a of the sheath insert section 3A. The nozzle 3b is formed by bending the distal end portion 3a inward. The bent area is waved. The nozzle 3b has a predetermined dimension so that the field of view of the rigid endoscope 2 is not narrowed, in other words, so that the observation window of the distal-end face 2a of the insert section 2A is not blocked.
With the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 inserted in the insert channel 3c, a slight distal end gap (not shown) remains between the inner circumference of the nozzle 3b and the distal-end face 2a of the insert section 2A.
With the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 inserted in the insert channel 3c, a slight gap serving as a liquid passage, namely, an insertion gap (see 3d of
The distal end of the insertion gap 3d communicates with the distal end gap, and the proximal end of the insertion gap 3d communicates with the injector via the water feed sleeve 3C.
The opening 3D of the sheath grip section 3B is loaded at an adequate location thereof with an O-ring (not shown). With the insert section 2A inserted, the O-ring is tightened to the outer circumference of the insert section 2A, thereby maintaining water-tightness on the proximal end of the insertion gap 3d.
With this arrangement, the injector is operated with the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 inserted in the insert channel 3c of the sheath insert section 3A. A liquid is fed from within the injector to the distal-end face 2a of the insert section 2A from all radial directions via the water feed sleeve 3C, the insertion gap 3d, and the distal end gap of the nozzle 3b. The cleaning liquid thus cleans the distal-end face 2a.
As shown in
The operation unit 4B includes on the proximal end thereof an opening 4C through which the sheath insert section 3A of the washing sheath 3 is inserted. A guide connector 8 is arranged on the operation unit 4B close to the opening 4C.
The guide connector 8 is similar in structure to the guide connector 6 of the washing sheath 3. The guide connector 8 has an opening 8a opened in the direction in which the sheath insert section 3A of the washing sheath 3 is inserted. The guide connector 8 has a socket portion 8b having a generally U-shape in plan view.
When the sheath insert section 3A of the washing sheath 3 is inserted in the wiper sheath 4 in that arrangement, the guide portion 7 arranged on the sheath grip section 3B of the washing sheath 3 is received in and engaged with the guide connector 8. The wiper sheath 4 and the washing sheath 3 are thus reliably connected to each other.
A tubular holder 4b is arranged within the inner passage 4a of the wiper insert section 4A. A wiper shaft 10 integrally formed with the wiper 9 is supported rotatably and movably in an arc by the tubular holder 4b. A plurality of cutouts are made on the wiper insert section 4A. For example, one cutout is made on the distal end of the wiper insert section 4A and the other cutout is made on the proximal end of the wiper insert section 4A. The tubular holders 4b are respectively arranged in the cutouts. The holders 4b with the wiper shaft 10 passing therethrough are then laser welded to the wiper insert section 4A (see
The wiper 9 is integrally formed with the end of the wiper shaft 10 using insert molding. The wiper 9, made of flexible rubber, has a generally rectangular shape having a size large enough to wipe the observation window of the distal-end face 2a and nearby. The wiper 9 is so thick that the wiper 9 in the bent state thereof is in contact with the distal-end face 2a to wipe water and body fluids sticking to the distal-end face 2a.
The proximal end of the wiper shaft 10 is arranged in the operation unit 4B. The operation unit 4B is operated by a surgeon to pivot the wiper 9. A drive force responsive to a pivotal motion by the surgeon is transferred to the wiper 9 via the wiper shaft 10. The operation unit 4B will be described later in more detail.
With the washing sheath 3 inserted in the wiper sheath 4 in this embodiment, the wiper 9 is placed into contact with the distal-end face 2a of the rigid endoscope 2 arranged within the washing sheath 3.
The endoscope system 1, including the rigid endoscope 2, the washing sheath 3 and the wiper sheath 4, is set to be inserted in a trocar (not shown) during a surgical operation. The endoscope system 1 in the trocar is held within the body of a patient, and an observation image of a region within the abdominal cavity of the patient captured through the observation optical system is supplied to a system controller via a camera head.
A specific structure of the operation unit 4B of the wiper sheath 4 is described below with reference to
In the endoscope system 1, the wiper 9 in the wiper sheath 4 wipes water and body fluids sticking to the distal-end face 2a of the rigid endoscope 2 set in the washing sheath 3. When the wiper 9 slides on the distal-end face 2a, the wiper 9 may touch the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3.
If the wiper 9 touches the nozzle 3b, the wiper 9 can be damaged. If the wiping area of the wiper 9 is narrowed to overcome such a problem, there is a possibility that water or body fluids may remain within the field of view of the distal-end face 2a.
The operation unit 4B forming the wiper sheath 4 in the endoscope system 1 of the embodiment is thus operated, wiping the water and the body fluids off the distal-end face 2a while moving the wiper 9 in an arc with respect to the distal-end face 2a away from the nozzle 3b.
The operation unit 4B of
As shown in
The hole 20A receives a click pin 20 that is supported in a manner protrudable toward the inner circumference of the wiper tube 12 as shown in
While the wiper tube 12 is pivoted, the click pin 20 is engaged with one of the holes 20A, and the pivotal motion of the wiper tube 12 is thus limited. More specifically, the wiper tube 12 is pivotally movable within a range defined between the two holes 20A as shown in
The body 11 is provided with a stopper 27 at a predetermined location. When the stopper 27 abuts a stop position 27a of the second rotary ring 14 (see
As shown in
The bent portion 10A of the wiper shaft 10 is locked by the recess portion 12A of the wiper tube 12. Screw holes 12a are arranged on both side areas of the recess portion 12A. The recess portion 12A is covered with a wiper retraining member 19 with the bent portion 10A received in the recess portion 12A. The wiper retraining member 19 is secured to the body 11 by tightening screws (not shown) into the screw holes 12a.
This arrangement prevents the bent portion 10A of the wiper shaft 10 from coming off the recess portion 12A. The wiper shaft 10 can thus move in an arc along with the wiper tube 12.
A pin 23 is arranged at a predetermined location on the circumference of the wiper tube 12. The pin 23 is operatively engaged with the first cam groove 24 of the body 11 and a second cam groove 25 arranged on an extension portion 14A of the second rotary ring 14. The pin 23 thus guides the wiper tube 12 in the rotation and longitudinal movement thereof.
As shown in
As shown in
Urging Force of the Springs 17>Urging Force of the Wiper 9
With this relationship satisfied, the pin 23 is reliably engaged with the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25. The wiper tube 12 can thus perform the pivotal operation and the longitudinal movement operation in accordance with the shapes of the cam grooves 24 and 25.
The extension portion 14A having the second cam groove 25 as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A fixing section 13A is arranged on the distal-end face of the first rotary ring 13. A ring-like seal member 18 is loaded onto the fixing section 13A to maintain water-tightness in the interior of the first rotary ring 13. The seal member 18 is integrally secured to the first rotary ring 13 by tightening a screw 22A onto a fixing plate 22.
Similarly, a ring-like seal member 18 is arranged on the proximal end of the second rotary ring 14. The seal member 18 is secured to the second rotary ring 14 into a unitary body by screw tightening a fixing plate 22.
The guide connector 8 is arranged on the outer circumference of the second O-ring holder 16. The guide connector 8 is secured to the second O-ring holder 16 into a unitary body.
Next, the shapes of the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25 are described below with reference to
The second cam groove 25 receiving one end of the pin 23 is a generally V slot formed in the extension portion 14A.
The generally V shaped second cam groove 25 includes a second distal guide face 25A forming the distal-end side and a second proximal guide face 25B forming the proximal-end side.
On the other hand, the first cam groove 24 receiving the other end of the pin 23 has a generally crank shape.
The generally crank shaped first cam groove 24 includes a first distal guide face 24A forming the distal-end side and a first proximal guide face 24B forming the proximal-end side. The wiper tube 12 is continuously urged by the springs 17 toward the proximal end of the wiper sheath 4. Thus, the pin 23 is received in the first cam groove 24 in engagement with the first proximal guide face 24B.
The pin 23 is guided in accordance with the shapes of the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25. Thus, the wiper tube 12 having the pin 23 fixed thereon is integrally moved with the pin 23. The wiper shaft 10 having the bent portion 10A received in the groove portion 12A of the wiper tube 12 is thus rotated and moved in an arc.
When the wiper tube 12 with the bent portion 10A of the wiper shaft 10 fixed thereon is moved, the wiper shaft 10 is rotated and moved in an arc. Then, along with the wiper shaft 10, the wiper 9 fixed to the wiper shaft 10 performs a wiping operation to wipe the distal-end face 2a, and a retraction operation in which the wiper 9 is retracted from the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3 by spacing apart from the distal-end face 2a in a distant direction.
As shown in
With the position L1 set as a wiping operation start point, the position L7 becomes a wiping operation end point at which the wiper tube 12 completes a wiping operation after traveling a predetermined direction, and the position L7 then serves as a start point for a next wiping operation.
When the pin 23 is placed in one of ranges L2 and L6 of the first cam groove 24, the wiper 9 is shifted to a far position from the distal-end face 2a, thus, spaced apart from the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3. The ranges L2 and L6 are retraction ranges within which the wiper 9 is retracted from the observation field of view.
When the pin 23 falls within one of ranges L3 and L5 of the first cam groove 24, the wiper 9 moves in the axial direction. That is, the ranges L3 and L5 are ranges within which the wiper 9 is axially moved. When the pin 23 is moved downward in
When the pin 23 is placed within a wiping operation range L4 of the first cam groove 24, the wiper 9 slides on the distal-end face 2a, namely, wipes water and body fluids of the distal-end face 2a. The range L4 is a wiping operation range within which the wiper 9 wipes the fluids.
The distance of the wiper 9 to the far position is determined by a length L10, and a wiping range of the wiper 9 is determined by a length L11.
Operation of the endoscope system 1 of the present embodiment is described below with reference to
Assembling of the endoscope system 1 is described with reference to
The insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 of
When the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is further moved in the direction represented by the arrow “a”, the guide portion 5 widens open the socket 6b of the guide connector 6 and then enters inside the socket 6 as shown in
The sheath insert section 3A of the washing sheath 3 having the rigid endoscope 2 remaining inserted therethrough is inserted into the wiper insert section 4A of the wiper sheath 4.
In the same way as with the relationship between the guide portion 5 and the guide connector 6, the guide portion 7 of the washing sheath 3 is mated with the guide connector 8 of the wiper sheath 4. As a result, the washing sheath 3 and the wiper sheath 4 are reliably connected to each other, and the endoscope system 1 is now assembled.
Next, operation of the wiper 9 in response to the operation of the operation unit 4B of the endoscope system 1 is described below with reference to
First, a surgeon now rotates the operation unit 4B of the wiper sheath 4 in the endoscope system 1 to perform a wiping operation of the wiper 9.
In this case, as shown in
When the pin 23 is at the click pin standby position L1, the wiper 9 of
The surgeon rotates the operation unit 4B clockwise to perform the wiping operation. Then, the pin 23 moves in accordance with the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25. More specifically, the pin 23 moves from the click pin standby position L1 to the axial motion range L3 via the retraction motion range L2 of the first cam groove 24 as shown in
Since the wiper tube 12 is continuously urged toward the proximal end side of the wiper sheath 4 by the springs 17, the pin 23 moves from the click pin standby position L1 to within the retraction motion range L2, sliding along the first proximal guide face 24B of the first cam groove 24.
Thus, the wiper 9 is now approaching the distal-end face 2a from the far position spaced apart from the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3.
When the pin 23 is placed within the axial motion range L3 as shown in
That is, when the pin 23 is placed to within the axial motion range L3, the wiper tube 12 is moved toward the proximal end of the wiper sheath 4 by the urging force of the springs 17 along the linear portion of the first cam groove 24. As a result, the wiper 9 is brought into contact with the distal-end face 2a.
The surgeon further rotates the operation unit 4B, thereby causing the pin 23 to move along the wiping operation range L4 of the first cam groove 24.
Then, as shown in
As shown in
That is, the wiper 9 performs the wiping operation within the wiping operation range L4. Thus, the wiper 9 wipes water and body fluids off the distal-end face 2a, thereby assuring a good field of view.
Cleaning operation of the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3 may be performed throughout or in the middle of the rotation operation of the operation unit 4B. A cleaning fluid is ejected through the nozzle 3b. By performing the cleaning operation along with the wiping operation of the wiper 9, water and the body fluid are efficiently removed.
When the operation unit 4B is further clockwise rotated, the pin 23 slides along the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25, thereby shifting from the wiping operation range L4 to within the axial motion range L5.
When the pin 23 is placed within the axial motion range L5, the wiper tube 12 within the operation unit 4B is placed at an angle θ7. And the angle of the pin 23 with respect to the first cam groove 24 becomes an angle θ6.
That is, within the axial motion range L5, the wiper tube 12 is shifted in the distal direction of the wiper sheath 4 contrary to the motion within the axial motion range L3. More specifically, the wiper 9 is shifted from the contact state thereof with the distal-end face 2a to the far position spaced apart from the distal-end face 2a. The wiper 9 is now detached from the distal-end face 2a.
When the surgeon further clockwise rotates the operation unit 4B, the pin 23 is shifted from the axial motion range L5 to the click pin standby position L7 via the retraction motion range L6 in the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25.
When the pin 23 is shifted from the retraction motion range L6 to the click pin standby position L7, the wiper tube 12 is urged toward the proximal end of the wiper sheath 4 by the springs 17. The pin 23 thus moves being in contact with the first proximal guide face 24B of the first cam groove 24.
The wiper 9 thus goes out of the observation field of view in the state detached from the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3. In other words, the wiper 9 becomes a retraction state moving to the far position from the distal-end face 2a.
And, the pin 23 reaches the click pin standby position L7 in the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25. This completes the wiping operation of the wiper 9 responsive to the clockwise rotation of the operation unit 4B.
The wiper tube 12 within the operation unit 4B is now held at an angle θ10 as shown in
And, when the pin 23 is placed at the click pin standby position L7, the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3 remains out of reach of the wiper 9 as shown in
If a single stroke of the wiper 9 is not sufficient to clean dirt, the surgeon may counterclockwise rotate the operation unit 4B. The above-described process of the wiper 9 is reversed.
If the clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of the operation unit 4B are repeated, the wiper 9 wipes water and body fluids off the distal-end face 2a more sufficiently, and a sufficient field of view is thus assured.
With such a configuration of the endoscope apparatus, when the wiper 9 wipes the distal-end face 2a of the rigid endoscope 2, the wiper 9 is spaced apart from the nozzle 3b at the far position thereof separated from the distal-end face 2a. After the wiping operation starts, the wiper 9 is brought into contact with the distal-end face 2a. This arrangement allows the wiping area of the wiper 9 with respect to the distal-end face 2a to be maximized. The water and the body fluids sticking to the distal-end face 2a are efficiently wiped and removed. An excellent field of view is thus assured.
Since the wiper 9 slides on a desired area of the distal-end face 2a without being in contact with the nozzle 3b of the washing sheath 3, the wiper 9 maintains a wiping performance in a manner free from damage for a long period of time. Since the wiper 9 remains free from contact with the nozzle 3b, the force of the wiper 9 is easily adjusted.
When the endoscope system 1 is inserted into the abdominal cavity through a trocar, there is a possibility that an insufflation gas supplied into the abdominal cavity, blood, or a body fluid may leak out through the gap of the wiper sheath 4 and the operation unit 4B.
For this reason, the endoscope system 1 has an air-tight mechanism to prevent the insufflation gas and the body fluid from leaking out through the operation unit 4B.
The air-tight mechanism of the endoscope system 1 is described below with reference to
This structure presents difficulty in maintaining water-tightness with the wiper 9 function. If the wiper sheath 4 including the wiper shaft 10 is water-tight sealed, a required torque of the wiper shaft 10 becomes large, thereby making operation difficult.
It is contemplated that water-tightness is assured by placing an O-ring between the operation unit 4B and the wiper insert section 4A. With such an arrangement, however, a required torque for the operation of the operation unit 4B becomes also large, making the rotation difficult.
The endoscope system 1 of the present embodiment employs a ring-shaped and sheet seal member 18.
The seal member 18 has an opening having a diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the body 11. Two seal members 18 are respectively arranged on the proximal end of the body 11 and the distal end of the body 11. The seal members 18 are respectively secured to the first rotary ring 13 and the second rotary ring 14 to the predetermined state by tightening the screws 22a onto the fixing plates 22.
Portions of the seal members 18 in contact with the outer circumference of the body 11 are preferably deformed to be tightly in contact with the body 11 on the proximal end and the distal end of the operation unit 4B. Alternatively, the seal members 18 may be in contact with the outer circumference of the body 11 without being deformed.
The use of the two seal members 18 allows the first rotary ring 13 and the second rotary ring 14, namely, the interior of the operation unit 4B to be water-tight sealed. This arrangement prevents the insufflation gas and the body fluid, which may flow out from within the abdominal cavity, from being leaked through the operation unit 4B.
The seal members 18 are ring-shaped sheets serving as a water-tight member. Therefore, the torque required for the rotation operation of the operation unit 4B is not increased, and a small torque is sufficient to rotate the operation unit 4B.
Further, the endoscope system 1 employs an O-ring 26 in areas free from the rotation motion of the operation unit 4B to improve water-tightness.
As shown in
In this arrangement, the first O-ring holder 15 has a male thread on outer circumference 15a on the distal end thereof. Meanwhile, the second O-ring holder 16 has a female thread on inner circumference 16a on the distal end thereof to be mated with the male thread on outer circumference 15a.
The first O-ring holder 15 has as the proximal end thereof a circular groove 15A that receives the O-ring 26. Meanwhile, the second O-ring holder 16 has, at a step on the inner circumference thereof, an abutment portion 16A engaging the O-ring 26. That is, the O-ring 26 is thus squeezed between the circular groove 15A and the abutment portion 16A. The O-ring 26 is deformed to be uniformly protruded to the center axis of the second O-ring holder 16.
The O-ring 26, which is deformed under the pressure between the first O-ring holder 15 and the second O-ring holder 16, is pressed into contact with the outer circumference of the sheath insert section 3A to be inserted through the inner passage 4b of the wiper sheath 4. Water-tightness is thus assured. This arrangement prevents the insufflation gas and the body fluid from leaking out through the wiper insert section 4A.
The wiper sheath 4 includes the wiper 9 in the endoscope system 1. Preferably, the wiper sheath 4 is easily inserted into the abdominal cavity of the subject and the wiper 9 is protected.
As shown in
The tubular holder 4c is arranged in the wiper insert section 4A of the wiper sheath 4 to support the wiper shaft 10 in a manner that allows the wiper shaft 10 to be rotated and axially moved.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
With the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 inserted to the insertion position within the wiper sheath 4, the illumination window 2c and the observation window 2b have a positional relationship as shown in
Whereas, the wiper sheath 4 has the rounded end portion 4d. So, if illumination light is emitted from the illumination window 2c as represented by a broken line, the illumination light is reflected from the inner circumference of the rounded end portion 4d, and then incident on the observation window 2b. An observation image may be destroyed.
In accordance with this embodiment, a light-entrance prevention member 30 is arranged on the inner circumference of the rounded end portion 4d of the wiper sheath 4 in order to prevent the reflected light from entering the observation window 2b. The light-entrance prevention member 30 may be one that guides the reflected light to another area rather than the observation window so that an observation image is free from the effect of the reflected light.
As shown in
The light-entrance prevention member 30 may be a light-entrance prevention member 30A of
The light-entrance prevention member 30 may be arranged so that the rounded end portion 4d is moved to the distal-end face 2a of the rigid endoscope 2.
The endoscope system 1A does not employ the washing sheath 3. Alternatively, the same advantages are provided even if the endoscope system 1A employs the washing sheath 3.
With the this arrangement, an excellent observation image is obtained while the ease of insertion of the wiper sheath 4 is maintained in the same way as in the previous embodiment.
When the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is inserted through the wiper insert section 4A of the wiper sheath 4 in the endoscope system 1A, a gap occurs between the inner circumference of the wiper insert section 4A and the outer circumference of the insert section 2A because the wiper shaft 10 is arranged within the wiper insert section 4A. In this case, the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 may be loose due to the gap. Then, when the wiper 9 is operated, the distal-end face 2a of the rigid endoscope 2 becomes rattled, and the wiper 9 cannot reliably wipe the distal-end face 2a because the wiper 9 cannot reliably move being in contact with the distal-end face 2a.
Such a problem is overcome by introducing an endoscope system 1B.
The endoscope system 1B is described below with reference to
As shown in
Therefore, when the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is inserted through the wiper insert section 4A of the wiper sheath 4, the outer circumference of the insert section 2A of the rigid endoscope 2 is brought into contact with the position restraining projection 31 as shown in
The position restraining projection 31 may be arranged in a predetermined location along the axial direction of the wiper insert section 4A (for example, in the center portion of the wiper insert section 4A), or at a plurality of locations within the wiper insert section 4A.
As shown in
The endoscope system 1B employs no washing sheath 3. The same advantages are provided even if the endoscope system 1B employs the washing sheath 3.
In accordance with the present embodiment, an endoscope system having a simple-structured, low-cost, and easy-to-use wiper is thus provided.
In the above-described embodiments, the shapes of the first cam groove 24 and the second cam groove 25 are not limited to those described with reference to
Have described the preferred embodiments of the invention referring to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and various changes and modifications thereof could be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Banju, Kazuo, Akui, Nobuaki, Dejima, Takumi
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